Body support or stool



NOV. 16, 1937. bLSZANQWSK] 2,099,345

BODY SUPPORT OR STOOL Filed Jan. 6, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 -6 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Nov. 16, 1937. P. A. OLSZANOWSK] 2,099,345

BODY SUPPORT CR STOOL Filed Jan. 6, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 16, 1937 BODY SUPPORT on. srooL Peter A. Olszanowski, Buffalo, N. Y. 7

Application January 6,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in body supports or stools of that type adapted to be strapped or secured to the person of the user so as to remain attached as the user moves from "5; place to place. i

These supporting devices orstools usually comprise a seat portion upon which the user sits and a depending prop, post or leg member which, when the person is in a seated position, extends to and engages the floor or the ground and acts I to support, in the main, the weight of the user i with the exception of the legs which are employed to cooperate with the post in maintaining equilibrium.

Various devices of this character have been proposed and among these may be mentioned body supports or stools having relatively short posts or standards depending from a more or less central position beneath the seat and which may be used as milking stools and for similar purposes, where a low seated position is called for. However, when a person using such a device stands erect, the post or standard is caused to. project'rearwardly at a considerable angle by reason of the fact that the seat portion is strapped close to and remains in contact with the user and in this position the seat is tilted to or assumes a considerable angle, whereas when in use the seat assumes a more or less horizontal position.

Obviously it would not be practical to provide these types of devices with a relatively long prop or post such as would enable the user to'assume a position similar to that when sitting on a fairly high stool such as is used in kitchens, etc. or by clerks in stores and in which the thighs of V the user instead of extending approximately'in a horizontal direction are extended downwardly with relatively little'bend at the knees, for the reason that, when the person using the stool stands erect, a long post or prop would project rearwardly to an objectionable extent and be in the way and interfere with furniture or other objects or persons nearby. On the other hand, body supports or stools which heretofore have been provided with relatively long posts or standards have been complicated in construction and cumbersome in usev and so far as I'am aware, neither type of stool or support mentionedhas of such construction as to afford the maximum comfort and ease in the use of the device.

Some objectsrof the present" invention are to construct a body support or stool of thecharacter mentioned which is so formed and which been provided with a back member or support 1937, Serial No. 119,244

is capable of attachment to the user in such a Way that the maximum comfort will be afforded by its use; in which a seat member is provided with a relatively rigid form fitting back mem-' ber to afford, in use, the maximum comfort and support; also to construct a support of this kind having improved means for attachment to the person of the user wherebythe device assumes,- when in use, a position in which maximum comfort and stability is afforded, and by which, when the user stands erect, the device is enabled to assume a different position relatively to the body of the person using it such that the post or prop thereof will be positioned forwardly beneath the seat of the device and will extend well downwardly and relatively close to the legs of the user so as not to be objectionably in the way as the person moves about; also to construct a device of this character of relatively few and simple parts substantially devoid of objectionable projections 20 such as securing devices, etc. upon which the clothing of the user might be caught, whichis compact, light in weight and which can be attached and worn without inconvenience.

Other objects are to provide a support or stool of this character with a post or prophaving a relatively simple and easily manipulated adjustment for varying the length of the post or prop whereby its length may be changed to fit the use of persons'of varying stature; and also to provide detachable and interchangeable means at the lower end of the standard to adapt the device for use either indoors, or outdoors where more or less soft ground may, on occasion, be encountered. 35

Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following disclosure thereof and its novel features will be pointed out in connection with the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved body supporter stool showing the same in the position which it assumes when the user is sitting down and in which parts of the person of the user are indicated by broken lines. 45

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device in the same relative position as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan View thereof, partly in section, taken approximately on the line 3-3, Fig.2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, vertical section of them post or prop of the device and that part of the seat of the device to which it is secured.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectionthereof, on an enlarged scale, on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 ma side elevation of the lower end of the 5 post or standard showing secured thereto a detachable foot or member for use on soft ground.

Fig. '7 is a horizontal section thereof on line l-'i, Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the body support or stool similar to Fig. 1 but showing the position that the device assumes when the user stands erect and in which the legs and the lower portion of the body of the user are indicated by broken lines.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, my improved body support or stool comprises a seat portion it and a back member H which extends upwardly from the rear of the seat portion and is preferably integral therewith or is rigidly secured thereto. The portions H3 and H together form a. unit which, when in use, approximately conforms to the body contours of the user and in which the back member preferably is of a length such that the top portion l2 thereof engages the back between the waist line and the shoulders.

The unit comprising the portions l and I i can be of any suitable construction or formed of different materials. Preferably the unit is formed of single integral and relatively light casting made, for example, of aluminum, the seatportion It b ng of double concave formation having a front edge or marginal portion 54 which, while in general extending crosswise from side to side, is fashioned to fit comfortably around the rear portion of the legs of the user approximately at the junction thereof of the thighs with the body.

The back portion or member ll extends in a continuous curve rearwardly and upwardly from the curved back portion of the seat I0, being inclined somewhat forwardly and then again upwardly and thence outwardly somewhat at its upper end portion l2 so as to approximately follow and bear against the contours of the back of the user, as shown in Fig. 1.

Attached to and extending downwardly from the seat portion member i0 is an adjustable post or prop 55, the attachment between this post l and the seat being midway between the opposite sides of the seat ii! and well in advance of the back of the seat as shown.

The post 55 may be constructed and its attachi lent to the seat made in any suitable manner.

I, however, preferably form the post !5 of telescopic construction providing for this purpose an upper tubular straight section It within which telescopes, with a sliding fit, a second lower section it).

Adjustment between these two members for varying the length of the post [5 may be secured in various ways but as shown I preferably form on the lower end of the section IS a tapered external thread to upon which a corresponding'internaily threaded, manually operable clamping sleeve may be detachably screwed.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 I provide in the lower threaded end 2 3 of the upper section i8 one or more radial slots or saw cuts 23. After the lower it has been adjusted to its desired relation -"ithin the upper section l8 it may therefore be nrmly clamped and maintained in this position by turning the sleeve 25 upwardly, thereby flexing inwardly the portions of the end part 25 between the cuts 23 and causing those portions to grip firmly about the adjacent portion of the section 99.

post or standard it may be attached to the seat member it in any desired manner but I preferably detachably secure these parts together to enable the body support or seat to be taken apart for packing or storing in a minimum of space.

For this purpose I form on or secure to the lower face of the seat member 53 a depending socket 351 having an internally threaded portion into which the correspondingly threaded upper end 32 of the top section I8 of the post may be screwed, thus forming a secure and rigid detachable connection between the standard and the seat.

In order to attach and maintain the support or stool in proper relation to the body of the user, not only while the seat is in use, but while the user is standing erect or walking about, I provide improved strap means formed, at least in part, of elastic or yielding material so that as the user changes from a sitting posture to an erect one or vice versa, these strap means or attaching members can yield and adjust themselves and thereby allow the stool to assume diiferent positions relatively to the body of the user, as shown for example in Figs. 1 and 8. By providing yielding strap means for attaching the device to the user, as explained, the unit comprising the seat H3 and back portion ii can, when the person using the device changes from the sitting posture shown in Fig. l to the standing position shown in Fig. 8, adjust itself .crshift so that the seat portion still occupies a plane which extends in a more or less transverse direction by the engagement of the upper end portion [2 of the back with the adjacent back part of the body of the user, thus causing the back portion l l to remain extending in a substantially up and down direction, instead of tipping forwardly and causing the post or support it to project rearwardly, as would be the case, for example, with devices having no back portion or in which relatively stiff and unyielding straps or attachments are provided. In such-cases the seat of the device would be caused to closely engage the person of the user and would thereby tilt upwardly at the rear, with corresponding objeotionable change in the angle at which the depending post extends relatively to the legs of the user, causing the post to project so far rearwardly as to be in the way.

In my improved strap means, two separate pairs of straps or attaching devices are preferably employed.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8, I provide upper strap means at comprising a pair of straps 6i, each of which is secured at its rear end by suitable rings, hooks or other attaching devices 42 to an edge of the backmember ll approximately in alinement withjthe waist of the user. front ends, the strap members 35 are provided with suitable connecting devices, such as snap hooks or the like 63, which may be of any well known or suitable construction enabling the straps, after being passed about the waist of the user, to be detachably connected together and snugly engage about the person, and thereby hold the back member 1 l in proper position.

A second pair of straps 65 secured in a similar manner by attaching devices 66 at their rear ends to the side portions of the seat member in are provided for causing the seat portion iii to hug the body of the user. For this purpose, the straps 45 are so formed and proportioned that they may encircle the legs of the user close to their connection with the body, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8,-and are provided at their front ends with clasps or securing devices 4? similar to the devices 43, so that they may be connected at the front, as in the case of the straps 4 I.

At their 1 i to be adjustable for varying their length to suit.

different users.

In order to provide for relative movement between the unitary seat and back portion of the body of the user when changing from one position to another, to thereby enable the stool toretain a position in which the post, l5 extends well downwardly in the manner explained, when the user stands up, I form the individual straps and of each pair, at least in part, of a suitable elastic or other resilient material which will yield and'enable the straps to automatically change in length to accommodate the difierent relative positions of the device to the body, as

stated. 7

As shown in Figs. 1 and 8 particularly, the back portion of each strap member 40 or 45 is formed of elastic webbing 50, of any suitable standard 7 or commercial construction or manufacture. The

remaining or front portions of these straps may be formed of any suitable flexible but relatively unyielding material, such as canvas or cotton webbing, leatheror the like.

It will be seen upon comparing the relative positions ,of the support or stool in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 8, that while in Fig. l the curved unitary seat and back structure closely engages the contour of the body of a person when seated upon the device with the straps snugly secured about the person of the user, in Fig. 8, on the other hand, the person using the device is shown standing in an erect posture, and it will be noted the strap means, particularly the members 40 thereof, have been elongated by the yielding of their elastic portions 50. Thus, while the upper portion l2 of the back member II is still in engagement with the back of, the user, and the front portion M of the seat member If! is also in engagement with the adjacent part of the users body, yet the intervening portions of the support are in spaced relation to the users body. "In this way, the part l2 engaging the back, as stated, tends to hold the device in an approximately upright position when the person is standing erect, so that the post or standard l5 being attached to the seat well in advance of the back thereof, will extend well downwardly under the seat and relatively close to the legs of the person so as to be not objectionably in the way.

While by causing the upper portion I2 of the back member ID to engage theperson, as shown in Fig. 8, for the purpose just disclosed, no discomfort from this relative change in position of the device as regards its relation to the back part of the user is experienced, since by provision of the yielding portions in the straps, the strap members 40, and to some extent the strap members 45, will become elongated or stretched. In

elastic webbing on the lower strap members i5v enables these members to readily adjust themselves by stretching and automatically accommodating the straps to the changes in the contours of the user's body while moving about.

When my improved body support or'stool is intended to be used indoors I' provide the lower end of the post I5 with a rubber socket or shoe 5 2 which may be frictionally or otherwise detachably secured upon the lower end of the section I9 of the post l5 so that it may contact with the floor toprevent the post from slipping or marring the floor. Any other suitablemeans may be provided for such purpose.

When it is intended to use the device out of doors, as for example, when the user is following a golf or other game and wherein it may be found convenient to sit down part of the time and stand or walk at other times, I provide a detachablefoot or device engageable with the lower end of the section l9 and which has a relatively, considerably greater contacting area than the socket 52 just described, so as to prevent the lower end of the post l5 from sinking into the ground when the user sits upon the support or stool.

' As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, I provide for this purpose a detachable foot, including a pronged or bifurcated ground-engaging portion 55 having a flat lower surface having an upwardly extending grooved or channeled attaching portion 56. This portion 56 isformed with an inner concave surface which is of approximately the same curvature as the periphery of the lower section IQ of the post l5.

The opposed outer face 51 of the attaching portion 56 is taperedslightly so as to increase the dimensions or thickness thereof in a downward direction, and by engaging this member with the lower end of the section l9, as shown in Fig. 6, it may be detachably secured thereto by means of a suitable slidable ring or sleeve 58 which may encircle the contacting section I 9 and attaching portion 56, and when moved downwardly will enable the, parts I9 and 56 to be clamped firmly together. Preferably the lower face or portion of the part 55 is extended beyond when the body support is in use, approximates a vertical positiomand said strap means being at least in part of resilient construction, so as to yield to enable said seat and back members to assume a different position when not in use and in which position said post will continue to extend downwardly well beneath the seat member.

2. A body support comprising a seat member,

a back rest rising from the rear of the seat member, leg engaging strap means extending from the seat and waist engaging strap means extending from the back rest, both of said strap means comprising pairs of straps each of which is formed, at least in part of elastic material.

3. A body support comprising a seat member,

a back rest rising from the rear of the seat member, leg engaging strap means extending from the seat member, waist engaging strap means extending from the'back rest, and a supporting post depending from the seat member.

- PETER A. OLSZANOWS-KI. 

